She's been painted as a gold digger who used marriage to former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson to leapfrog up the celebrity ladder. But Robin Givens, 26, says she's putting the past behind and setting her sights on new hurdles: establishing herself as a movie actress and overcoming Hollywood stereotypes. To most people Robin Givens is the beautiful young black actress who got into the domestic ring with bull-necked boxing heavyweight Mike Tyson-and survived. Lurid tales of alleged beatings,...

Not long ago, in a shopping mall, I ran into Mike Tyson. It was the Fashion Show Mall in Las Vegas. I came up an escalator, and there was Tyson. He was standing, grinning, surrounded by a little clutch of delighted fans, most of whom wanted to pose for a picture with Iron Mike, the former world champion heavyweight boxer, undisputed. Even by Vegas standards, this was an unusual scene. I stood off to the side and watched. Tyson did not seem to be shopping or making an...

As a young African-American woman, I'm starting to get embarrassed by some of the guests on "Oprah" complaining about their lives. I would trade my life in a second for Lisa Marie Presley's, Tatum O'Neal's or Robin Givens' lives.

"The Game" 7:30 p.m., WGN-Ch. 9 Malik (Hosea Chanchez) is the target of ribbing from his teammates after Robin (Robin Givens) insinuates on national television that they're breaking up because he's gay. "Flashpoint" 8 p.m., WBBM-Ch. 2 Ed is called to the scene when an SRU veteran locks himself in a safe room with the intent to commit suicide. "NUMB3RS" 9 p.m., WBBM-Ch. 2 A feud between Chinese gangs leads to the kidnapping of an undercover agent and the reappearance of Samuel Kraft.

Robin Givens gets her Broadway debut in January as Roxie Hart in "Chicago." Givens, who appeared in the 1980s television comedy "Head of the Class," joins the cast Jan. 16 at the Ambassador Theatre and will appear through March 26. Her films include the television movie "The Women of Brewster Place," in which she co-starred opposite Oprah Winfrey. ---------- The Personals page was compiled by Cristi Kempf from Tribune news services and staff reports.

Robin Givens doesn't think ex-boyfriend Brad Pitt belongs at the "Head of the Class," the '80s sitcom star said in an interview reported by the New York Daily News. Givens dated Pitt after her divorce from boxer Mike Tyson. "I mean, Brad Pitt was hot," Givens reportedly says in the new issue of Steppin' Out magazine, "but I don't know if I find him to be so fascinating, to be perfectly honest. "Whenever I see him in the magazines with Angelina Jolie I just crack up. I think it's hysterical!

Robin Givens leaves a violent, abusive husband after eight months of marriage, making her the "Most Hated Woman in America" (Re: "Worms for Robin" by Cheryl Lavin, Tempo). I left a violent, abusive husband after seven years of marriage, and people said, "Why did you stay so long? You must like rough stuff." Tell me: What is the socially accepted amount of time a woman should stay with a man who has an "intermittent explosive disorder"; who "can`t handle the normal pressures of life" and "gets out of control"?

Long before there were Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton, there was Robin Givens (right). The actress was once a popular tabloid subject, especially during her troubled one-year marriage to boxer Mike Tyson. She also was portrayed as a gold digger -- remember those unfounded rumors of an affair with Michael Jordan? "I never heard that one," Givens, now 42, told us when we sat down with her last week. "That's so ridiculous." Givens writes candidly in her new book "Grace Will Lead Me Home."

I was shocked by Cheryl Lavin's article on Robin Givens on the front page of Tempo recently. The article displayed a frightening level of hatred and vituperation directed against a black woman. It began by reporting a series of polls revealing strong public antipathy towards Robin Givens without any perspective or criticism. For example, Ms. Lavin noted that 93 percent of callers in one poll blamed Ms. Givens for the breakup of her marriage to Mike Tyson, without even mentioning the fact that he had...

Tampa Bay quarterback Vinny Testaverde and his wife of nine months, Laura, have filed for divorce. The reason: Testaverde's temper. Testaverde has been getting professional help for his temper since he and Laura decided in January that the marriage wouldn`t work. "I`ve been seeing a counselor because I have a temper, which I never really wanted to believe was the problem," Testaverde said. "I guess I just faced up to the fact that I had a problem. . . . I didn`t understand it. But...

Robin Givens gets her Broadway debut in January as Roxie Hart in "Chicago." Givens, who appeared in the 1980s television comedy "Head of the Class," joins the cast Jan. 16 at the Ambassador Theatre and will appear through March 26. Her films include the television movie "The Women of Brewster Place," in which she co-starred opposite Oprah Winfrey. ---------- The Personals page was compiled by Cristi Kempf from Tribune news services and staff reports.

"The Game" 7:30 p.m., WGN-Ch. 9 Malik (Hosea Chanchez) is the target of ribbing from his teammates after Robin (Robin Givens) insinuates on national television that they're breaking up because he's gay. "Flashpoint" 8 p.m., WBBM-Ch. 2 Ed is called to the scene when an SRU veteran locks himself in a safe room with the intent to commit suicide. "NUMB3RS" 9 p.m., WBBM-Ch. 2 A feud between Chinese gangs leads to the kidnapping of an undercover agent and the reappearance of Samuel Kraft.

As a young African-American woman, I'm starting to get embarrassed by some of the guests on "Oprah" complaining about their lives. I would trade my life in a second for Lisa Marie Presley's, Tatum O'Neal's or Robin Givens' lives.

Robin Givens doesn't think ex-boyfriend Brad Pitt belongs at the "Head of the Class," the '80s sitcom star said in an interview reported by the New York Daily News. Givens dated Pitt after her divorce from boxer Mike Tyson. "I mean, Brad Pitt was hot," Givens reportedly says in the new issue of Steppin' Out magazine, "but I don't know if I find him to be so fascinating, to be perfectly honest. "Whenever I see him in the magazines with Angelina Jolie I just crack up. I think it's hysterical!

While Will Smith's Nov. 18 visit to "All of Us" is probably UPN's biggest sweeps cameo, the network will have no lack of star power in November. Vivica A. Fox ("Kill Bill"), Debra Wilson ("Mad TV") and R&B crooner Gerald Levert will drop by "The Parkers." The show also will celebrate episode No. 100 on Nov. 17 with an appearance by former Cincinnati Reds star Eric Davis. Los Angeles Lakers guard Derek Fisher and hip-hop star Missy Elliot will visit "Eve," and comedian Sandra...

While Will Smith's Nov. 18 visit to "All of Us" is probably UPN's biggest sweeps cameo, the network will have no lack of star power in November. Vivica A. Fox ("Kill Bill"), Debra Wilson ("Mad TV") and R&B crooner Gerald Levert will drop by "The Parkers." The show also will celebrate episode No. 100 on Nov. 17 with an appearance by former Cincinnati Reds star Eric Davis. Los Angeles Lakers guard Derek Fisher and hip-hop star Missy Elliot will visit "Eve," and comedian Sandra...

What's Robin Givens doing hosting a talk show? "I think that's probably why I'm doing the show -- because it is such a different direction for me," the actress said during a visit to Chicago to promote "Forgive or Forget," the relationship-driven talk show she has been hosting since January. Givens, 35, has been known either as an actress ("Boomerang," "A Rage in Harlem," TV's "Head of the Class") or the tumultuous ex-wife of boxer Mike Tyson. But she says she always has been interested in talk and...

Do you have information on the male star of "Now and Again"? Assuming you're talking about Eric Close, who gets top billing on the Friday night CBS show, we can tell you this is his latest of several series. He was previously a regular on "McKenna," "Dark Skies" and "The Magnificent Seven" (which, ironically, had the same CBS slot as "Now and Again" for a while). Close has also appeared in several TVmovies, including "Without Consent" with Jennie Garth and "The...